Associate Buyer

Trident Consulting • San Clemente, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Buyer will support R&D, Clinical, Pilot Operations, and Operations purchasing activities by helping gather sourcing requirements, creating and maintaining purchase orders, expediting materials, and communicating supplier updates under the guidance of a Buyer, Senior Buyer, or Purchasing Manager. This role is intended as an entry-level purchasing position in a regulated medical device/pharma environment, with emphasis on ERP/MRP accuracy, supplier follow-up, documentation discipline, and issue escalation. The Junior Buyer supports inventory management, supplier quality documentation, and demand-planning activities to help reduce excess and obsolete inventory while learning vendor management, pricing, and sourcing fundamentals.

Requirements

• 2-4 years of purchasing, supply chain, operations, planning, customer service, internship, or related experience; exposure to a regulated medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, or manufacturing environment preferred.
• Basic understanding of ERP/MRP systems, purchase order processing, supplier follow-up, inventory transactions, and data accuracy; Oracle, SAP, or similar system experience preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple open tasks and priorities with guidance, follow standard work, meet deadlines, and escalate issues appropriately.
• Able to work in a quality system and regulated environment by following approved procedures, maintaining accurate records, and supporting audit-ready documentation.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical curiosity, and comfort working with spreadsheets, purchase order data, supplier confirmations, and inventory reports.
• Good oral and written communication skills, with the ability to interact professionally with suppliers and cross-functional internal partners.
• Computer literacy required, including Microsoft Office; Excel skills such as basic formulas, filtering, sorting, and data review preferred.
• Good organizational skills and willingness to learn purchasing fundamentals, supplier management, and regulated supply chain processes.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain/Operations preferred

Responsibilities

• Supports R&D / Clinical / Pilot Operations and Operations teams by gathering purchasing requirements for new product introductions and routine material needs.
• Creates, reviews, and updates purchase orders in the ERP system; confirms order acknowledgments, delivery dates, pricing, and quantities with suppliers.
• Expedites late or at-risk orders and communicates supplier updates, shortages, and delivery risks to the Buyer/Senior Buyer or Purchasing Manager for escalation.
• Maintains part master, vendor, lead time, pricing, and purchase order data accuracy in the ERP/MRP system in accordance with approved procedures.
• Assists with basic supplier follow-up, quote requests, and vendor documentation; supports negotiations, supply agreements, and pricing analysis as directed by senior purchasing staff.
• Monitors open purchase orders, past-due lines, and inventory signals; prepares basic reports to support supply continuity and reduce excess and obsolete inventory.
• Supports supplier quality and audit readiness by collecting required documentation, routing issues to Quality/Supply Chain partners, and maintaining purchasing records in a regulated environment.
• Works with demand planning and cross-functional partners to support ramp up / ramp down activities, while escalating constraints, capacity concerns, or material risks promptly.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED